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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. snap — to click
  2. can — a tin
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stem — to come from
  8. scale — in music
  9. present — a gift
  10. key — for a lock
  11. can — a tin
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bat — the animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. present — the time now
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. can — to be able to
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. key — in music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. present — there
  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