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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. spell — magic
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. club — for golf
  7. cell — a phone
  8. spell — letters
  9. club — a group
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. club — for dancing
  15. current — happening now
  16. dip — to sink
  17. current — of water
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. current — electric
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cell — in biology

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