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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. race — a contest
  5. kid — child
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pop — to visit
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pop — soda
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kid — to tease
  19. race — humankind
  20. bass — low music
  21. pop — music
  22. hand — help
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rush — hurry

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