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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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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: wind · game · chair · lie · wake · bowl · dip · saw

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — wild animals
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wind — moving air
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. game — a match
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chair — a leader

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