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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. roll — a list
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bear — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mug — a face
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. mug — to rob
  21. foot — a measure
  22. clip — to cut
  23. game — a match
  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