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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. shower — to wash
  3. spring — the season
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. game — a match
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. shower — rain
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. game — wild animals
  18. spring — of water
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. suit — clothes
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cue — for pool
  24. suit — in cards

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