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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ball — a great time
  5. shower — rain
  6. game — a match
  7. band — a ring
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. spring — of water
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spring — the season
  17. band — a music group
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. spring — a coil

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