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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · rule · rash · bowl · dip · clip · safe · bat

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. clip — a video
  9. rash — hasty
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rash — a series
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — boats
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rule — a law

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