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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. file — a tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — final
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. last — finally
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. file — a document
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bear — the animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. last — to go on

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