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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. last — finally
  6. firm — steady
  7. last — final
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. last — to go on
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bear — the animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. root — of a word
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. firm — a company
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cell — in biology
  24. root — the cause

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