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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. spell — magic
  5. perch — the fish
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — letters
  9. scale — in music
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pass — a permit
  13. toast — bread
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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