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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 120 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 stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spell — a short time
  7. club — for golf
  8. spell — magic
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fall — the season
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. club — for dancing
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spell — letters
  18. club — a group
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fall — to drop
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wind — to turn a key

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