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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bound — certain
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bound — tied together
  8. shower — rain
  9. bear — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wind — moving air
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. shower — to wash
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hand — help
  20. club — for dancing
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. club — for golf
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. squash — the sport

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