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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pop — music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cap — a lid
  20. march — music
  21. tube — a container
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — a weight
  24. sharp — with an edge

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