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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ball — a dance
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mine — for digging
  16. swing — music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bark — to shout
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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