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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · straw · bound · ground · deal · racket · leaves · wind

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wind — moving air
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. ground — the earth
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wind — moving air
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. ground — a position
  18. bound — obliged
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bound — certain
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ground — crushed

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