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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. present — a gift
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. present — the time now
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. game — a match
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. can — a tin
  24. fall — the season

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