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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — of water
  6. present — the time now
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. spell — letters
  17. face — to confront
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. face — part of the head
  20. present — a gift
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. spring — the season
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. present — there

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