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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. court — for sport
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cell — a phone
  12. firm — a company
  13. cell — in biology
  14. court — of law
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mark — a grade
  20. firm — steady
  21. last — finally
  22. court — of a king
  23. firm — decided
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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