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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. net — in sport
  9. pit — a hole
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. tube — a container
  16. pound — a weight
  17. net — after costs
  18. pop — music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pop — soda
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. net — for catching
  24. pound — to hit hard

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