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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. drill — army training
  7. last — finally
  8. bear — the animal
  9. last — final
  10. clip — for paper
  11. craft — boats
  12. spell — magic
  13. drill — the tool
  14. spell — a short time
  15. ball — a great time
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. last — to go on
  22. spell — letters
  23. craft — a skill
  24. drill — a practice

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