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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. row — a line
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wound — an injury
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wind — moving air
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. plane — a tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. press — to push
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — an aircraft

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