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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · wind · season · last · pitcher · bear · mate · bowl

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wind — moving air
  7. last — finally
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. last — final
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. last — to go on
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. key — in music
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — the most important part
  22. season — in sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wind — moving air

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