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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pop — soda
  4. bat — the animal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. present — a gift
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. ground — a position
  15. bear — the animal
  16. present — the time now
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pop — music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — there
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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