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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kid — child
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mouse — for a computer

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