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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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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: rush · mark · face · key · roll · craft · bowl · date

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. craft — boats
  8. mark — a trace
  9. roll — a cake
  10. key — the most important part
  11. face — to point toward
  12. key — for a lock
  13. roll — a list
  14. key — in music
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. face — part of the head
  17. craft — a skill
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. face — to confront
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mark — a grade
  24. date — on the calendar

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