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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wind — moving air
  3. press — to push
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. march — the month
  7. object — an aim
  8. march — music
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. press — newspapers
  13. club — for golf
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. vault — a safe
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. club — for dancing
  21. object — a thing
  22. press — a publisher
  23. object — to protest
  24. wind — moving air

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