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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bat — the animal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chest — a box
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. club — for dancing
  15. hand — help
  16. club — for golf
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mark — a grade
  24. club — a group

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