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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pop — music
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. lean — to bend
  12. spell — letters
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lean — thin
  16. game — a match
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stand — to bear
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pop — soda
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spell — a short time
  23. sharp — clever
  24. spell — magic

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