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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. swing — in golf
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. perch — the fish
  10. club — for golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. shower — rain
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. ball — a round shape

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