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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pop — music
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mug — to rob
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kick — in football
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to click
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. track — a path
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pop — soda
  17. stock — shares
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. track — a song
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stock — goods
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mug — a cup

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