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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — of the year
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rash — a series
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. scale — in music
  15. game — a match
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. season — in sport
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. deal — to handle

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