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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pop — soda
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. present — a gift
  7. club — a group
  8. last — finally
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bear — the animal
  11. last — final
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pop — music
  20. cap — of ice
  21. club — for golf
  22. bear — the animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cell — in a prison

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