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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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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — finally
  5. swing — music
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. last — to go on
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. net — in sport
  12. foot — a measure
  13. club — for dancing
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. net — after costs
  16. swing — to play on
  17. club — for golf
  18. mark — a grade
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mark — a trace
  21. club — a group
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. last — final

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