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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. lean — to bend
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pop — to visit
  10. ball — a dance
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pop — soda
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pit — in a race
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pop — music
  20. stem — to come from
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hand — help
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lean — thin

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