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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cue — for pool
  4. spring — the season
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. spring — of water
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — magic
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bear — the animal

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