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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pop — music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lean — thin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pop — soda
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pop — to visit
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cap — a hat

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