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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.

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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. sharp — clever
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pop — soda
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. clip — for paper
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. drill — army training
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. clip — a video
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

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