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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cold — an illness
  5. band — a music group
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pop — soda
  9. cold — not warm
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pop — to visit
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pop — music
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bear — the animal
  21. band — a ring
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. sharp — with an edge

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