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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · object · rule · ball · bear · sharp

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — a box
  6. ball — a dance
  7. object — to protest
  8. rule — government
  9. sharp — clever
  10. object — an aim
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. object — a thing
  18. chest — of your body

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