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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — to crush
  3. club — for golf
  4. present — there
  5. ground — crushed
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. ground — a position
  9. present — a gift
  10. squash — the sport
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. present — the time now
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chest — of your body
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. court — of a king
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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