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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. club — a group
  3. wind — moving air
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. club — for dancing
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. club — for golf
  11. content — happy
  12. can — a tin
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. can — to be able to
  15. key — in music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. key — the most important part
  20. row — a line
  21. content — the amount
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bat — in an idiom

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