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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. row — a line
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. march — the month
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. squash — the sport
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. rest — a break
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pop — music
  20. rush — hurry
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pop — to visit

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