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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mark — a trace
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mark — a grade
  20. snap — to click
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rush — hurry
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. racket — for tennis

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