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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. kick — in football
  3. track — a path
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. track — to keep track
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. ground — the earth
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stem — a stem cell

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