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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. swing — in golf
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. spell — magic
  11. club — for golf
  12. bear — the animal
  13. swing — music
  14. club — a group
  15. capital — money
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. spell — letters
  19. club — for dancing
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — moving air
  23. capital — a city
  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