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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.

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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. capital — a city
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bear — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. game — wild animals
  15. dip — to sink
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. game — a match
  18. mug — a cup
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fall — the season
  22. mug — a face
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cell — in biology

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