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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. track — a song
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. rush — hurry
  9. march — the month
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — a match
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rash — hasty
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. march — music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. track — to keep track
  21. scale — in music
  22. track — a path
  23. march — the month
  24. rush — to hurry

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