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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. kid — to tease
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kid — child
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stand — to bear
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fine — all right
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. date — the fruit
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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