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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mug — a face
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. game — a match
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. land — a country
  10. mug — to rob
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. land — ground
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chest — a box
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. land — to come down
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stock — shares
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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