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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. current — of water
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. face — to confront
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spring — the season
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bound — certain
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. current — happening now
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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