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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. club — for golf
  3. field — a subject
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wake — a trail
  6. club — a group
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cap — of ice
  10. field — for sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. field — farmland
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. sharp — exactly

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