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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rush — hurry
  7. press — a publisher
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. can — a tin
  10. branch — a division
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. tube — a container
  15. press — to push
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. game — a match
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. can — a tin
  24. ball — a dance

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