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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mine — for digging
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. kick — in football
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hand — help
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. fine — all right
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bear — the animal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. kick — with a leg

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