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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bass — low music
  3. rule — a law
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bear — the animal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bass — the fish
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bear — the animal
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. foot — a measure
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rule — government
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. foot — part of the body

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