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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. track — a song
  5. bear — the animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. track — to keep track
  9. tube — a container
  10. track — a path
  11. hand — in cards
  12. march — the month
  13. charge — in control
  14. fall — the season
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. march — the month
  17. charge — electricity
  18. march — music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. sharp — clever
  23. charge — a price
  24. sharp — exactly

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