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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. sharp — clever
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. club — a group
  8. bulb — for light
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. toast — bread
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bulb — for light
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. club — for dancing
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. club — for golf
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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