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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. saw — the tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. spring — a coil
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spring — of water
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. game — a match
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. last — finally
  18. bear — the animal
  19. last — final
  20. last — to go on
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spring — the season
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stand — to bear

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