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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fine — high quality
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. drill — army training
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. spring — the season
  10. bear — the animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cold — not warm
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. drill — the tool
  23. spring — of water
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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