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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. press — a publisher
  6. dip — to sink
  7. press — newspapers
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rash — a series
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. file — a document
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. press — to push
  24. fork — a garden tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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