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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ball — a dance
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rash — a series
  13. spring — the season
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rush — hurry
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. spring — of water
  23. clip — a video
  24. bowl — to roll

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