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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pop — soda
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pop — music
  6. craft — boats
  7. pop — to visit
  8. game — a match
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. craft — a skill
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. court — for sport
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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