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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. court — for sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. game — a match
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mine — for digging
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. present — a gift
  14. ground — a position
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fall — the season
  20. present — the time now
  21. ground — crushed
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. present — there
  24. mine — belonging to me

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