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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: club · wind · pound · bowl · arm · face · game · squash

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. game — wild animals
  4. face — to point toward
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. club — a group
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. club — for dancing
  14. face — part of the head
  15. game — a match
  16. club — for golf
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wind — moving air
  19. face — to confront
  20. wind — moving air
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. squash — the sport

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