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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. firm — decided
  3. sharp — clever
  4. season — in sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — in golf
  12. firm — steady
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. swing — music
  15. firm — a company
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — of the year
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. swing — to play on
  23. hand — help
  24. wind — moving air

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