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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. club — for golf
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. land — a country
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. club — a group
  9. wind — moving air
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. degree — temperature
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tear — from crying
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rock — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. rock — a stone
  24. hide — animal skin

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