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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. firm — decided
  10. kid — child
  11. firm — steady
  12. dip — to sink
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. firm — a company
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. racket — a loud noise

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