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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wind — moving air
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. club — for dancing
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. march — music
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wind — moving air
  12. present — the time now
  13. mug — to rob
  14. march — the month
  15. club — a group
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. track — to keep track
  19. march — the month
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. club — for golf
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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