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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 116 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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wind — moving air
  6. drill — army training
  7. squash — the sport
  8. game — wild animals
  9. band — a music group
  10. club — a group
  11. band — a ring
  12. squash — to crush
  13. drill — the tool
  14. game — a match
  15. club — for golf
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bear — to put up with

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