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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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Word bank
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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. club — a group
  3. wind — moving air
  4. season — in sport
  5. club — for golf
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. hand — help
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fine — all right
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fine — high quality
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. club — for dancing

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