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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. present — there
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bound — certain
  7. stand — to bear
  8. present — a gift
  9. rock — music
  10. court — of a king
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spell — a short time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. present — the time now
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wind — moving air

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