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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cue — a hint
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bear — the animal
  9. roll — a list
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. tear — to rip
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. roll — a cake
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fine — all right
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cue — for pool
  22. present — a gift
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cue — a signal

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