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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pit — in a race
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. deal — to handle
  12. hand — in cards
  13. current — electric
  14. kid — to tease
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. hand — help
  20. rash — a series
  21. kid — child
  22. bear — the animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hand — part of the body

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