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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. key — in music
  6. club — for golf
  7. chest — a box
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitch — completely
  15. club — for dancing
  16. key — for a lock
  17. club — a group
  18. face — to confront
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mark — a trace

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