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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. present — a gift
  3. pit — in a race
  4. present — there
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bank — of a river
  11. club — for golf
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — the time now
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pit — a hole
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. club — a group
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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