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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bark — to shout
  4. squash — the sport
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. kick — in football
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. swing — music
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. kid — child
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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