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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 116 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rock — music
  5. march — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. ball — a great time
  8. spell — magic
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. march — the month
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bound — certain
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. march — the month
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ball — a round shape
  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