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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pop — to visit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. key — in music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. suit — to fit
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. suit — in cards
  17. pop — music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rash — a series
  24. date — the fruit

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