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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wake — a trail
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pop — soda
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pop — music

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