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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ball — a dance
  7. track — to keep track
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. track — a song
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lean — thin
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cap — of ice
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fine — high quality
  24. stem — to come from

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