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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bear — the animal
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. court — of law
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. scale — in music
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. scale — size or range
  20. court — of a king
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wind — moving air
  24. court — for sport

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