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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. deal — to handle
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mug — a cup
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mug — a face
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mug — to rob
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. foot — the bottom

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