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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wind — moving air
  3. drill — army training
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bank — of a river
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. hand — help
  9. drill — the tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bank — for money
  13. cap — a hat
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bank — for money
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. land — to come down
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. staff — employees
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cap — of ice

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