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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. dip — to sink
  4. kid — child
  5. season — in sport
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — to come from
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. kid — to tease
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pitcher — a jug

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