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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bound — tied together
  6. spring — the season
  7. bound — obliged
  8. scale — in music
  9. pop — music
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. spring — of water
  14. club — a group
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. club — for dancing
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bound — certain
  21. pop — soda
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bear — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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