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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. net — in sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bore — to tire
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bear — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. craft — a skill
  14. vault — a safe
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. face — to point toward
  21. craft — boats
  22. cold — an illness
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bear — to put up with

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