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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. present — the time now
  4. can — a tin
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. can — a tin
  8. band — a music group
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — of water
  14. ground — the earth
  15. band — a ring
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. present — a gift
  21. ground — crushed
  22. kick — in football
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. kick — a thrill

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