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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 120 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. club — for dancing
  7. scale — in music
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. club — for golf
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. field — a subject
  12. cold — not warm
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. club — a group
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. field — for sport
  22. cold — an illness
  23. vault — a safe
  24. chair — to sit on

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