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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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Word bank
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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: staff · land · fine · club · swing · wind · ball · racket

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. swing — to play on
  7. land — to come down
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fine — all right
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fine — high quality
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. swing — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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