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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lie — to recline
  5. press — to push
  6. cue — for pool
  7. press — newspapers
  8. field — for sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. field — a subject
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. tube — a container
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. field — farmland
  24. wave — with your hand

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