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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. present — there
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bear — the animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. tube — a container
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. staff — a stick
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cold — an illness
  19. can — a tin
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. staff — employees
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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