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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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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: dip · club · spell · shower · lie · wind · game · sharp

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. sharp — clever
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. spell — magic
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. lie — to recline
  13. club — a group
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. club — for golf
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spell — letters
  20. shower — to wash
  21. spell — a short time
  22. shower — rain
  23. game — a match
  24. club — for dancing

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