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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: bay · wake · wind · bound · bowl · nail · season · pit

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bound — certain
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — in sport
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bound — tied together
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pit — a hole
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. season — of the year

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