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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. suit — to fit
  3. kid — to tease
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. plane — a tool
  12. suit — in cards
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. court — for sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kid — child
  18. scale — size or range
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. suit — clothes
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. game — a match
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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