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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mug — to rob
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bound — certain
  6. swing — music
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. can — to be able to
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bound — obliged
  13. game — a match
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. can — a tin
  17. mug — a face
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cap — a hat
  24. can — a tin

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