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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. firm — decided
  7. land — to come down
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. roll — a cake
  12. firm — a company
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rest — a break
  15. court — of law
  16. land — ground
  17. firm — steady
  18. land — a country
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wave — with your hand

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