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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. shower — rain
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ground — the earth
  6. land — to come down
  7. ground — a position
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. plane — a tool
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. club — for golf
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — ground
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wind — moving air
  20. land — a country
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. club — for dancing
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. club — a group

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