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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tear — to rip
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. press — newspapers
  14. craft — a skill
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. craft — boats
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cue — for pool
  23. press — to push
  24. sharp — clever

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