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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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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. present — a gift
  4. spell — letters
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. present — there
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. present — the time now
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spell — magic
  18. wake — to stop sleeping

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