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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — the tool
  4. court — for sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. spring — a coil
  12. court — of a king
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. spring — the season
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. court — of law
  17. pop — soda
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. spring — of water
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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