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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mark — a grade
  9. field — a subject
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. field — for sport
  13. bound — obliged
  14. swing — music
  15. content — happy
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ball — a great time
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. field — farmland
  22. content — the amount
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bear — 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