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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's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. face — part of the head
  9. branch — a division
  10. face — to confront
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rash — a series
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. fine — all right
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bowl — a football final

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