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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — of water
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. club — for dancing
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. club — for golf
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spring — the season
  14. scale — size or range
  15. club — a group
  16. row — a line
  17. chair — a leader
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wind — moving air
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lie — to recline
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lie — an untruth

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