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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 120 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cue — a hint
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. race — humankind
  9. snap — to click
  10. pop — to visit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. ball — a dance
  14. spell — magic
  15. cue — a signal
  16. spell — letters
  17. pop — soda
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. race — a contest
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pop — music
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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