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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — hurry
  4. press — to push
  5. field — a subject
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. field — farmland
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. field — for sport
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bound — certain
  24. prune — to trim

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