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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · staff · wind · bore · racket · rash · mouse · game

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. staff — a stick
  6. game — wild animals
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. kid — child
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — to tease
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rash — hasty
  13. staff — employees
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — a series
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bore — to drill
  21. game — a match
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com