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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. swing — to play on
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. swing — in golf
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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