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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. game — a match
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — in cards
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bear — to put up with

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