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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. game — a match
  5. march — the month
  6. rest — a break
  7. ground — a position
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mug — a face
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. march — music
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mug — to rob

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