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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kick — in football
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. band — a ring
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bat — the animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. band — a music group
  11. sharp — clever
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. foot — a measure
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. foot — the bottom

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