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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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. club — for golf
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. shower — rain
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pop — soda
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pop — music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pop — to visit
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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