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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. club — a group
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. march — music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. key — in music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. key — for a lock
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. club — for golf
  23. press — to push
  24. march — the month

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