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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pop — to visit
  3. roll — a cake
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pop — music
  9. bank — for money
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bank — of a river
  16. snap — to click
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — a subject
  19. present — the time now
  20. field — for sport
  21. present — a gift
  22. roll — a list
  23. pop — soda
  24. field — farmland

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