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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pop — to visit
  4. foot — a measure
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. date — the fruit
  7. face — to confront
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stem — to come from
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. club — a group
  15. ball — a dance
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. club — for golf
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pop — music
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ball — a round shape

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