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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. last — final
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. firm — decided
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. firm — a company
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. drill — army training
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — finally
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. firm — steady
  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