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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pop — music
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mate — a friend
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spell — letters
  7. field — a subject
  8. cap — a hat
  9. root — the cause
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. root — of a word
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mate — a partner
  16. snap — to click
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. spell — magic
  22. mate — to breed
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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