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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rule — a law
  8. roll — a list
  9. net — after costs
  10. toast — bread
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rule — government
  15. net — in sport
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wake — a trail
  23. net — for catching
  24. rule — to rule out

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