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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. club — for dancing
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. club — for golf
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — employees
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. staff — a stick
  18. fine — all right
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — a group
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. march — music
  23. fine — high quality
  24. staff — employees

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