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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. present — there
  3. spring — of water
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. present — a gift
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. can — to be able to
  15. present — the time now
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — a tin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. lie — to recline
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wound — an injury
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bear — to put up with

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