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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. club — for golf
  6. current — of water
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — help
  9. current — electric
  10. rest — a break
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. club — for dancing
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. club — a group
  23. wind — moving air
  24. current — happening now

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