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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wind — moving air
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bank — for money
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. file — a line of people
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. file — a document
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cap — of ice
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. file — a tool
  23. bank — of a river
  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