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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wind — moving air
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. land — to come down
  8. pop — music
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. drill — army training
  11. pop — to visit
  12. land — a country
  13. pop — soda
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. arm — part of the body

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