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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — a law
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. scale — size or range
  5. club — for dancing
  6. spell — letters
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — for golf
  9. wake — a trail
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. spell — a short time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. spell — magic
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. club — a group
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rule — government

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