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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: cap · chest · wind · saw · bass · bowl · kid · fork

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fork — in a road
  4. kid — child
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cap — of ice
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. chest — a box
  19. bass — low music
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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