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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · pop · season · mate · wind · can

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. season — in sport
  10. mate — a friend
  11. can — a tin
  12. pop — music
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. season — of the year
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pop — soda
  18. mate — a partner

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