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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · rush · mark · clip · game · mine · lean · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rush — hurry
  7. game — a match
  8. lean — thin
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. clip — a video
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mark — a trace

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