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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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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 · mug · pass · pop · firm · net · bowl · race

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. net — for catching
  4. mug — to rob
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. race — humankind
  10. mug — a face
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. race — a contest
  16. net — in sport
  17. mug — a cup
  18. race — the arms race
  19. firm — steady
  20. net — after costs
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. pass — to spend time

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