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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. club — a group
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. charge — a price
  11. deal — to handle
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. saw — the tool
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. club — for dancing
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. spring — the season
  24. deal — a big deal

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