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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rash — a series
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bore — to drill
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. face — to confront
  12. rash — hasty
  13. face — part of the head
  14. toast — bread
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bear — the animal
  18. game — a match
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bore — to tire
  22. saw — the tool
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. saw — the tool

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