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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bear — the animal
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. spring — of water
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. spring — the season
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. spring — a coil
  17. capital — money
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bore — to tire
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mate — a friend
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bore — to drill

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