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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stand — to bear
  6. key — the most important part
  7. face — to confront
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. scale — in music
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. key — in music
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. scale — size or range
  22. face — to point toward
  23. key — for a lock
  24. scale — for weighing

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