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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pop — music
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pitch — completely
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. pop — to visit
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pop — soda
  16. root — of a word
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wind — moving air
  19. root — the cause
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. swing — music

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