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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. game — wild animals
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. degree — an amount
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. dip — to sink
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. game — a match

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