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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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. net — for catching
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. net — in sport
  5. season — in sport
  6. scale — size or range
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. net — after costs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. scale — in music
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. season — of the year
  24. snap — to click

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