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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bound — obliged
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bound — certain
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bore — to drill
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. perch — the fish
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bound — tied together

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