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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. spring — of water
  3. wind — moving air
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. spring — the season
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bass — the fish
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. club — for golf
  18. spell — letters
  19. bass — low music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. ground — crushed
  24. spring — a coil

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