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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. drill — army training
  5. lean — thin
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. game — a match
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. club — a group
  14. capital — a city
  15. wind — moving air
  16. capital — money
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lash — an eyelash

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