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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pop — to visit
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — a trace
  6. drill — army training
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pop — soda
  12. bear — the animal
  13. root — of a word
  14. last — final
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mark — a grade
  17. last — finally
  18. drill — a practice
  19. root — the cause
  20. drill — the tool
  21. root — of a plant
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pop — music

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