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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mate — a friend
  4. net — after costs
  5. content — happy
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. net — in sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mate — a partner
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. dip — to sink
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bear — the animal
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — for catching
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to dunk

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