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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 116 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. snap — to click
  3. swing — music
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. craft — a skill
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. craft — boats
  22. swing — in golf
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bear — the animal

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