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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 116 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. mate — to breed
  6. tear — to rip
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mark — a trace
  13. land — a country
  14. race — humankind
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. spell — magic
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — a partner
  19. land — to come down
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mark — a grade
  23. land — ground
  24. tear — from crying

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