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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. 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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 dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — letters
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bound — tied together
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bound — certain
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — help
  24. pound — a weight

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