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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. shower — rain
  3. land — a country
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spell — a short time
  7. track — to keep track
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. key — for a lock
  10. mate — to breed
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. track — a song
  13. land — ground
  14. snap — to click
  15. track — a path
  16. land — to come down
  17. spell — magic
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. spell — letters
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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