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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. court — of law
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mark — a grade
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. court — for sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. tube — a container
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. tube — the underground

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