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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. present — there
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. can — a tin
  13. land — ground
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cold — not warm
  17. present — the time now
  18. can — a tin
  19. bear — the animal
  20. land — a country
  21. present — a gift
  22. scale — in music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — an illness

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