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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. field — for sport
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. kid — child
  9. ball — a great time
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pop — soda
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stem — of a plant

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