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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. land — to come down
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bear — the animal
  6. court — of law
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. land — ground
  15. court — for sport
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. court — of a king
  21. date — the fruit
  22. land — a country
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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