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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · club · bank · pop · pit · wind · chair · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pop — to visit
  3. spell — a short time
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spell — letters
  6. bank — for money
  7. wind — moving air
  8. club — a group
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. club — for golf
  13. pop — music
  14. bank — for money
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pit — in a race
  18. chair — a leader
  19. swing — to play on
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bank — of a river
  22. swing — music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pop — soda

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