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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pop — music
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. key — in music
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cap — a hat
  12. season — of the year
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pop — soda
  15. cap — of ice
  16. key — the most important part
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. season — in sport
  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