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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 120 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 · chest · pound · key · pass

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pass — a permit
  7. key — in music
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. chest — of your body
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. chest — a box
  18. pound — for dogs

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