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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cue — a signal
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cue — for pool
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. deal — to handle
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cell — a phone
  15. file — a document
  16. bear — the animal
  17. file — a tool
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. file — a line of people
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bound — certain

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