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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chest — a box
  3. can — a tin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. can — a tin
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — to be able to
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pop — soda
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cap — a lid
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pop — music

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