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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. present — a gift
  3. track — a path
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. face — to confront
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. staff — employees
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. squash — the sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. track — a song
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. track — to keep track
  16. face — part of the head
  17. staff — a stick
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rush — hurry
  20. staff — employees
  21. present — there
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. present — the time now

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