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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: hand · wind · racket · rush · mark · fan · deal · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mark — a trace
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rush — hurry
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. court — for sport
  12. hand — help
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — a grade
  20. court — of a king
  21. deal — to handle
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — an agreement

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