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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mug — a face
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. rash — hasty
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rash — a series
  17. net — after costs
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. land — ground

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