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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rush — hurry
  3. land — a country
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spring — the season
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. staff — employees
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. spring — of water
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. spring — a coil
  20. content — the amount
  21. land — to come down
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. staff — a stick

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