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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wake — a trail
  3. firm — a company
  4. land — ground
  5. pop — music
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. bound — tied together
  9. firm — decided
  10. bound — certain
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. firm — steady
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pop — soda

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