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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. can — a tin
  9. shower — rain
  10. wind — moving air
  11. degree — an amount
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. club — for golf
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. shower — to wash
  22. club — a group
  23. wind — moving air
  24. temple — a place of worship

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