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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. can — a tin
  7. rule — a law
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. season — of the year
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bear — the animal
  13. capital — money
  14. bore — to drill
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rule — government
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. bat — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — in sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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