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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. kick — in football
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. scale — in music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. prune — to trim
  24. jam — a tight spot

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