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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bear — the animal
  3. club — a group
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. spring — a coil
  11. kid — child
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cap — a hat
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. spring — the season
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lean — thin
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spring — of water
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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