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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pop — music
  4. swing — music
  5. mark — a grade
  6. plane — a tool
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. swing — to play on
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mark — a trace
  16. capital — money
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stem — to come from
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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