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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. clip — a video
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pop — soda
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pop — to visit
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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