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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rest — a break
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pop — soda
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. kick — in football
  14. press — to push
  15. plane — a tool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — newspapers
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pop — music
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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