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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spell — magic
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. swing — to play on
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — letters
  8. face — part of the head
  9. swing — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. face — to point toward
  16. swing — in golf
  17. land — ground
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. scale — in music
  23. face — to confront
  24. scale — for weighing

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