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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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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: ground · tube · rush · foot · wind · chair · club · key

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ground — a position
  3. wind — moving air
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. ground — crushed
  10. club — for golf
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. tube — the underground
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. tube — a container
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. rush — hurry
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. club — a group

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