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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mark — a grade
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mark — a trace
  6. game — a match
  7. prune — to trim
  8. suit — to fit
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. land — to come down
  11. suit — in cards
  12. land — a country
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bear — the animal
  15. suit — clothes
  16. row — a line
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — ground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. game — wild animals

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