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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. march — the month
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fine — all right
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. club — for golf
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rash — a series

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