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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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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. snap — to click
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fine — all right
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rock — music
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cell — in a prison

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