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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. club — a group
  3. ground — a position
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. club — for golf
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ground — the earth
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pop — music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bear — the animal
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. safe — out of danger

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