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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.

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: rash · toast · wind · can · bass · game · ground · kid

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ground — the earth
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. can — a tin
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. can — a tin
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. can — to be able to
  12. ground — a position
  13. toast — bread
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bass — low music
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wind — moving air

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