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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 are we going to ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pop — to visit
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. snap — to click
  7. pop — music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. vault — a safe
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lean — thin
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. land — ground
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pop — soda
  22. land — a country
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ball — a great time

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