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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: scale · deal · wind · cold · track · temple · bowl · toast

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cold — an illness
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. scale — size or range
  8. track — a song
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. toast — bread
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. scale — in music
  18. deal — to handle
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. track — a path

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