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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a match
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bear — the animal
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — to point toward
  16. press — to push
  17. scale — in music
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. scale — size or range
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. press — newspapers
  24. game — wild animals

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