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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. hand — help
  10. wound — an injury
  11. present — the time now
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. present — a gift
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. shower — rain
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — there

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