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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pound — a weight
  3. firm — decided
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chest — of your body
  6. firm — a company
  7. chest — a box
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bear — the animal
  10. firm — steady
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. field — farmland
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. net — in sport
  16. field — for sport
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. net — for catching
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. net — after costs
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. field — a subject
  24. safe — a strongbox

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