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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 · mug · shower · present · leaves · court · club · wind

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wind — moving air
  3. shower — rain
  4. wind — moving air
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. club — for golf
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. present — there
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. swing — to play on
  19. present — the time now
  20. court — of a king
  21. swing — in golf
  22. court — for sport
  23. swing — music
  24. present — a gift

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