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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  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. suit — in cards
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. game — wild animals
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. can — a tin
  7. game — a match
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — a box
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. can — a tin
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. suit — clothes
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. can — to be able to
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. suit — to fit
  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