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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. kick — in football
  3. bat — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bear — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. field — for sport
  11. root — of a word
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. field — farmland
  15. root — of a plant
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mark — a trace
  20. root — the cause
  21. field — a subject
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. staff — employees

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