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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. land — ground
  3. wind — moving air
  4. key — in music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pit — a hole
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bear — the animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. key — the most important part
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. land — a country

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