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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hand — help
  5. race — humankind
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. content — the amount
  8. ground — a position
  9. clip — a video
  10. ground — crushed
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. suit — clothes
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. hand — in cards
  15. race — a contest
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. content — happy
  19. deal — to handle
  20. clip — to cut
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. ground — the earth
  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