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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. shower — to wash
  5. band — a ring
  6. file — a document
  7. pop — music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. club — for dancing
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wind — moving air
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. pop — soda
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. band — a music group
  20. file — a tool
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. arm — part of the body

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