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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pound — a weight
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cold — not warm
  24. sharp — with an edge

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