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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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. stock — goods
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. game — a match
  7. degree — temperature
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. face — to confront
  13. root — of a word
  14. stock — shares
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — from a university
  17. game — wild animals
  18. degree — an amount
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. root — the cause
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. root — of a plant
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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