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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. can — a tin
  5. bass — low music
  6. court — of law
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. can — a tin
  11. court — of a king
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rush — to hurry

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