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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. game — a match
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hand — help
  13. clip — a video
  14. hand — in cards
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bear — the animal
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. game — a kind of play

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