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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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468
Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. march — the month
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cold — an illness
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. content — the amount
  19. capital — money
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — happy
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. march — music
  24. cold — the Cold War

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