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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.

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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. hand — help
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bass — low music
  5. firm — steady
  6. dip — to sink
  7. race — humankind
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bass — the fish
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. saw — the tool
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bear — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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