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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. game — a match
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. drill — the tool
  6. object — to protest
  7. bear — the animal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. object — a thing
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. object — an aim
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. drill — army training
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pop — music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pop — soda
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bat — for baseball

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