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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — a subject
  6. rest — what's left
  7. root — the cause
  8. wind — moving air
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. field — for sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rest — a break
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. club — for dancing
  22. field — farmland
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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