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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wound — an injury
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bear — the animal
  24. sharp — clever

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