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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rash — hasty
  18. ground — a position
  19. bore — to tire
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fan — to cool the air

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