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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. chest — of your body
  5. present — the time now
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. drill — army training
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. present — there
  12. mine — for digging
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. present — a gift
  21. chest — a box
  22. game — a match
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. game — a kind of play

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