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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. staff — employees
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. club — a group
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. staff — a stick
  13. capital — a city
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. staff — employees
  16. bulb — for light
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pass — a permit
  19. capital — money
  20. club — for golf
  21. pitch — completely
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitch — a sports field

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