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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cue — a signal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — certain
  16. hand — help
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cue — for pool
  24. temple — a place of worship

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