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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. can — a tin
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. dip — to sink
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bear — the animal
  14. scale — size or range
  15. land — a country
  16. drill — army training
  17. can — a tin
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. drill — a practice
  20. scale — in music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wind — moving air

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