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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pop — music
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spring — of water
  11. pop — soda
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pop — to visit
  14. charge — a price
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. file — a document
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. spring — the season
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. file — a tool
  22. charge — in control
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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