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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 120 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rash — a series
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bound — certain
  8. game — a match
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tube — a container
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bound — tied together
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bound — obliged
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — to roll

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