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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — magic
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mate — to breed
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. staff — employees
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. spring — the season
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. roll — a list
  16. spell — letters
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. staff — employees
  20. press — newspapers
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mate — a partner
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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