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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. net — for catching
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bear — the animal
  12. race — humankind
  13. net — after costs
  14. spell — magic
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — letters
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mug — a face
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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