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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. net — in sport
  3. pop — soda
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — to visit
  7. file — a document
  8. pop — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stem — to come from
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rock — music
  21. snap — to click
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. file — a tool

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