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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. club — for golf
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pop — music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a match
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. club — a group
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pop — soda
  18. wind — to turn a key

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