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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. 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. bear — the animal
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mark — a grade
  24. 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