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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. spring — the season
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. capital — a city
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. capital — money
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spring — of water
  17. wind — moving air
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tear — to rip
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — a coil
  24. row — a line

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