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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. staff — employees
  6. squash — the sport
  7. field — for sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. field — a subject
  11. staff — a stick
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. field — farmland
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fine — all right
  22. shower — rain
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. fine — high quality

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