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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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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: pop · season · mine · bowl · court · mug · spell · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pop — music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spell — a short time
  11. court — of a king
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spell — magic
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. spell — letters
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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