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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wake — a trail
  9. key — in music
  10. fine — all right
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wind — moving air
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. swing — music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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