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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fine — high quality
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pop — music
  7. game — a match
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pop — soda
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pit — a hole
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. snap — to click
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fine — all right
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. game — wild animals
  23. perch — the fish
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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