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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. kick — in football
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pound — a weight
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spring — a coil
  10. scale — in music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cue — for pool
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chip — to eat
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — for weighing

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