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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. club — for dancing
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. club — a group
  7. rash — a series
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mark — a trace
  10. spell — letters
  11. club — for golf
  12. land — ground
  13. spell — a short time
  14. land — a country
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. spell — magic
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. land — to come down
  20. foot — a measure
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mark — a grade

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