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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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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: bay · bowl · wind · fine · foot · squash · scale · can

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. can — a tin
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. squash — to crush
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. scale — size or range
  23. can — to be able to
  24. scale — in music

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