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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. key — in music
  3. row — a line
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. key — for a lock
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mate — a partner
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. swing — music
  23. mate — to breed
  24. key — the most important part

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