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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spring — of water
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pass — a permit
  12. spell — letters
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pound — a weight
  16. spell — magic
  17. face — to point toward
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bear — the animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. spring — the season

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