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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — letters
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chest — a box
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spell — magic
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. chair — a professorship

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