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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. field — farmland
  7. snap — to click
  8. court — of a king
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. field — a subject
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stem — to come from
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. court — of law
  16. field — for sport
  17. date — the fruit
  18. game — wild animals
  19. toast — bread
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. court — for sport
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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