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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pound — a weight
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. snap — to click
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mark — a trace
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. press — to push
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. press — newspapers
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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