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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. season — of the year
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. drill — a practice
  13. season — in sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. dip — to sink
  19. drill — army training
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. object — a thing
  23. drill — the tool
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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