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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: bowl · pop · chip · bear · wind · row · rest · lie

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chip — for betting
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rest — a break
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bear — the animal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pop — soda
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rest — what's left

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