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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. tube — the underground
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. tube — a container
  14. fork — in a road
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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