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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rest — a break
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. land — a country
  7. fine — all right
  8. root — the cause
  9. land — ground
  10. root — of a word
  11. mark — a trace
  12. land — to come down
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bear — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mark — a grade
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. root — of a plant

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