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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bulb — for light
  12. club — a group
  13. rule — a law
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rule — government
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — for golf

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