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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bear — the animal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hand — in cards
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a music group
  12. bound — tied together
  13. sharp — clever
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. season — of the year
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. band — a ring
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bound — obliged
  24. hand — help

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