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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. game — a match
  4. bear — the animal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. face — part of the head
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. spring — of water
  14. pit — a hole
  15. face — to confront
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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