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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cell — in biology
  3. board — to get on
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. board — a committee
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bore — to tire
  12. spell — letters
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bear — the animal
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. spell — magic
  22. rock — a stone
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cold — the Cold War

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