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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. game — a match
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. can — to be able to
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rock — music
  17. can — a tin
  18. rock — a stone
  19. can — a tin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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