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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. capital — money
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spring — a coil
  10. kick — in football
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. capital — a city
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. spring — the season
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bass — low music
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. spring — of water
  24. capital — a big letter

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