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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. present — the time now
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. present — there
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spring — of water

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