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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 116 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
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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: ball · wind · bound · ground · wave · game · bowl · wake

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wind — moving air
  4. game — a match
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. ground — crushed
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ground — a position
  20. bound — certain
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wake — before a funeral

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