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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. game — a match
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. game — wild animals
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rash — a series
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bear — to put up with

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