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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. band — a music group
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. band — a ring
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rash — a series
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. game — a match
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. shower — rain
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fan — a supporter
  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