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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. chest — a box
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. chest — of your body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mate — a partner
  12. capital — money
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. firm — steady
  21. game — a match
  22. capital — a city
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mate — a friend

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