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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rest — a break
  6. pop — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a match
  11. pop — soda
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. game — wild animals
  15. spell — magic
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — a measure
  18. court — of law
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. court — of a king
  21. rest — what's left
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. court — for sport
  24. game — a kind of play

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