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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stand — to bear
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. game — a match
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lean — to bend
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wax — in the ear

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