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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pop — to visit
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bear — the animal
  9. net — after costs
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — a list
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pop — soda
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pop — music
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. net — in sport
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bear — the animal
  23. net — for catching
  24. roll — a cake

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