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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mug — a cup
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. last — final
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chip — for betting
  13. ball — a great time
  14. last — finally
  15. mug — a face
  16. spell — letters
  17. mug — to rob
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. ball — a dance
  20. vault — a safe
  21. spell — magic
  22. last — to go on
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chip — in a computer

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