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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cap — a hat
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. bear — the animal
  14. last — to go on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rest — a break
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. craft — boats
  24. pitcher — a jug

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