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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bear — the animal
  14. can — a tin
  15. game — a match
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — to be able to
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — the animal
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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