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

Word bank: bowl · wind · pass · dip · present · race

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pass — a permit
  5. race — humankind
  6. present — a gift
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. present — the time now
  11. dip — to sink
  12. race — a contest
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. race — the arms race
  15. present — there
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — to succeed

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