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

Word bank: swing · club · key · dip · pitcher · stand · wind · last

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. club — for golf
  6. swing — in golf
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — a group
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — final
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. key — for a lock
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. swing — music
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. swing — to play on
  21. key — in music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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