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

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. scale — in music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tube — the underground
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. tube — a container
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — dry grass

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