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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mug — a face
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. game — a match
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wake — a trail
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wound — an injury
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wake — before a funeral

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