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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rule — a law
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. band — a ring
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — a cake
  12. club — for dancing
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rule — government
  19. fine — all right
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. club — a group
  24. rule — to rule out

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