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

Word bank: mine · bay · squash · lean · roll · wind · pit · club

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. lean — thin
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pit — a hole
  8. club — a group
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. club — for golf
  24. pit — in a race

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