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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. bound — tied together
  4. drill — a practice
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bound — obliged
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spell — letters
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bound — certain
  19. cold — not warm
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. foot — a measure
  23. spell — magic
  24. cold — an illness

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