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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 124 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. drill — army training
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — letters
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mine — for digging
  18. drill — a practice
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. spell — magic
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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