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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wind — moving air
  6. race — a contest
  7. degree — an amount
  8. club — for dancing
  9. degree — temperature
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. degree — from a university
  13. race — the arms race
  14. game — a match
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fine — all right
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wake — a trail
  24. race — humankind

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