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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. hand — help
  4. suit — clothes
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. suit — in cards
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. season — in sport
  12. roll — a list
  13. root — of a plant
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — in cards
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. suit — to fit

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