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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pop — soda
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. foot — a measure
  9. root — of a word
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. root — the cause
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rock — music
  16. pop — music
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pop — to visit
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. root — of a plant
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cap — a lid

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