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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: root · ball · saw · bowl · rush · rash · sharp · cold

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — of a word
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. root — of a plant
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — an illness
  16. saw — the tool
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. root — the cause
  22. rash — a series
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. ball — a great time

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