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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. spell — letters
  3. pop — to visit
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spell — magic
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. snap — to click
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pop — soda
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — music
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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