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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mug — to rob
  9. snap — to click
  10. wake — a trail
  11. field — farmland
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mug — a face
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. dip — to sink

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