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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rash — a series
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wake — a trail
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pop — music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. squash — to crush
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pop — to visit
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pop — soda

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