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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bear — the animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. track — to keep track
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. court — of a king
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wake — a trail
  15. content — happy
  16. tear — from crying
  17. content — the amount
  18. track — a path
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. track — a song
  24. lie — to recline

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