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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. firm — decided
  3. field — for sport
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bear — the animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. content — happy
  8. firm — a company
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — steady
  11. spell — letters
  12. cap — of ice
  13. field — a subject
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. field — farmland
  19. cap — a lid
  20. content — the amount
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — a hat
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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