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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 124 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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cell — a phone
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. game — a match
  9. key — in music
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — for a lock
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bear — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. scale — in music
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cell — in a prison

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