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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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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — rain
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. court — for sport
  7. tube — a container
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. press — to push
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. press — a publisher
  12. staff — employees
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. staff — a stick
  15. craft — a skill
  16. tube — the underground
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. craft — boats
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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