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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. suit — clothes
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. degree — an amount
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wind — moving air
  11. toast — bread
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. degree — from a university
  14. staff — employees
  15. last — finally
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. last — final
  18. suit — in cards
  19. degree — temperature
  20. last — to go on
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. suit — to fit
  23. club — a group
  24. wind — moving air

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