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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a great time
  3. board — a committee
  4. degree — an amount
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. season — of the year
  9. ball — a dance
  10. season — in sport
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fine — high quality
  14. club — a group
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. degree — temperature
  17. club — for dancing
  18. degree — from a university
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fine — all right
  22. board — to get on
  23. club — for golf
  24. board — a flat piece

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