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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spring — the season
  3. club — a group
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mark — a trace
  6. march — music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. club — for dancing
  9. net — after costs
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. net — in sport
  13. march — the month
  14. club — for golf
  15. mark — a grade
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — for catching
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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