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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. scale — in music
  4. club — a group
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wind — moving air
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wind — moving air
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. club — for golf
  19. plane — a tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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