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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. kid — to tease
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pop — music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pit — a hole
  10. snap — to click
  11. ball — a dance
  12. root — of a word
  13. stem — to come from
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. kid — child
  21. pop — to visit
  22. swing — music
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pop — soda

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