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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. object — to protest
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chip — for betting
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chip — to eat
  12. kid — child
  13. bear — the animal
  14. race — a contest
  15. spring — the season
  16. object — a thing
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. race — the arms race
  20. ball — a dance
  21. object — an aim
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. race — humankind

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