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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — help
  3. march — music
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. spell — letters
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. face — to confront
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spell — magic
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. spell — a short time
  20. staff — employees
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. staff — employees
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. staff — a stick

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