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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. scale — in music
  14. stock — shares
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pop — soda
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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