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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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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. snap — to click
  3. pop — soda
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pop — music
  16. stem — to come from
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pop — to visit
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stand — to bear

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