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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 · wind · swing · season · temple · mouse · jam · face

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wind — moving air
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. face — part of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. face — to confront
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. swing — music
  20. season — of the year
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. season — in sport
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — a tight spot

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