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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.

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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hand — in cards
  9. snap — to click
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bear — the animal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rock — music
  24. hand — help

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