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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mug — a face
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spell — a short time
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. fall — the season
  18. spell — letters
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spell — magic
  24. rush — to hurry

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