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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wind — moving air
  3. game — a match
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. season — of the year
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. lean — to bend
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — in sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fall — the season
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. can — a tin
  23. lean — thin
  24. can — a tin

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