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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fall — the season
  8. capital — money
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. kid — child
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. capital — a city
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — of water
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spring — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. game — a match
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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