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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. capital — a city
  9. bear — the animal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. roll — a list
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — a match
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. snap — to click
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — money
  19. game — wild animals
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. roll — a cake
  23. date — the fruit
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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