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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. present — the time now
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. fall — the season
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. capital — money
  11. tear — from crying
  12. capital — a city
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — there
  17. tear — to rip
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. capital — a big letter

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