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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chip — for betting
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wake — a trail
  12. content — happy
  13. chip — to eat
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. content — the amount
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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