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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. drill — a practice
  8. object — a thing
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kick — in football
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. object — an aim
  17. drill — army training
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ground — a position
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. object — to protest
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pitch — completely

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