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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bear — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. game — a match
  9. season — in sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mark — a grade
  13. perch — the fish
  14. staff — employees
  15. march — the month
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — music
  18. staff — a stick
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — the month
  21. ground — the earth
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bear — to put up with

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