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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kid — child
  4. season — in sport
  5. swing — in golf
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. land — a country
  8. season — of the year
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. root — of a word
  11. land — to come down
  12. cap — a hat
  13. swing — music
  14. land — ground
  15. bear — the animal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cap — a lid
  24. root — the cause

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