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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. kick — in football
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mate — a friend
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rush — a thrill

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