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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bear — the animal
  7. foot — a measure
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. bear — the animal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stock — shares
  20. mug — to rob
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. club — for golf
  23. bat — the animal
  24. game — a match

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