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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. present — the time now
  11. rock — music
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. mate — a partner
  20. present — there
  21. ground — a position
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bowl — a dish

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