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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. chest — of your body
  4. snap — to click
  5. chest — of your body
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. can — a tin
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. dip — to sink
  12. can — a tin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a ring
  15. stem — to come from
  16. band — a music group
  17. chest — a box
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. game — a match

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