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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. present — a gift
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — for golf
  6. present — there
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rock — a stone
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. rock — music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. root — of a word
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wind — moving air
  19. present — the time now
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. root — the cause
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. leaves — of a tree

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