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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. track — a path
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — a match
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. track — a song
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ball — a great time

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