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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 · perch · race · wind · deal · snap · season · face

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. face — part of the head
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. race — a contest
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. face — to point toward
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. face — to confront
  12. season — in sport
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. season — of the year
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. race — humankind
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. snap — to click

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