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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 120 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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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. last — finally
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. last — to go on
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pass — a permit
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bass — the fish
  17. last — final
  18. pass — to spend 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