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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. club — a group
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. club — for golf
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rash — a series
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stand — to bear
  17. game — a match
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ball — a great time
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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