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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. ground — a position
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pitch — completely
  11. shower — to wash
  12. track — to keep track
  13. hand — help
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. shower — rain
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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