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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. season — of the year
  3. staff — employees
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kid — child
  7. season — in sport
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chest — a box
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. staff — employees
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. craft — boats

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