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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. present — the time now
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. face — part of the head
  9. land — a country
  10. mate — a friend
  11. present — there
  12. face — to confront
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mate — to breed
  15. saw — the tool
  16. face — to point toward
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. land — ground
  20. ball — a great time
  21. present — a gift
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pitcher — a jug

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