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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. object — to protest
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mug — a cup
  6. object — an aim
  7. mug — a face
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. mug — to rob
  13. march — the month
  14. object — a thing
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bear — the animal

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