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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. spell — letters
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pass — a permit
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fine — high quality
  11. swing — to play on
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. spell — magic
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. swing — music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. spell — a short time

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