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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. firm — steady
  3. club — for dancing
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. club — a group
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. club — for golf
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. firm — decided
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. saw — the tool
  14. roll — a cake
  15. saw — the tool
  16. firm — a company
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mine — for digging
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a list
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wind — moving air

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