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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. roll — a cake
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. roll — a list
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. face — to confront
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bowl — a dish

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