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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wind — moving air
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pop — to visit
  7. season — in sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. present — the time now
  14. season — of the year
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. present — there
  21. wind — moving air
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. dip — to sink
  24. ball — a great time

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