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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. key — in music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bass — low music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. key — the most important part
  9. can — a tin
  10. bass — the fish
  11. key — for a lock
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. club — a group
  16. can — a tin
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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