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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. club — for golf
  4. wind — moving air
  5. net — for catching
  6. pop — to visit
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. club — a group
  14. pop — music
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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