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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pass — a permit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ball — a great time
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. clip — a video
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. clip — for paper
  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