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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. row — a line
  3. content — happy
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. content — the amount
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. row — to paddle
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mate — a partner

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