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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: staff · bowl · pitcher · rush · saw · snap · board · race

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. snap — to click
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. race — humankind
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. staff — employees
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — the arms race
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. board — to get on
  24. race — a contest

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