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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. row — a line
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pass — a permit
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. capital — a city
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. capital — money

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