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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kick — in football
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ball — a dance
  24. face — to point toward

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