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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. spell — letters
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. scale — size or range
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. bound — certain
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bear — the animal
  16. scale — in music
  17. mark — a grade
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bear — the animal
  21. capital — a city
  22. bound — obliged
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mouse — the animal

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