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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 have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. chest — a box
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. club — for golf
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chest — of your body
  7. swing — music
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cap — a lid
  12. swing — in golf
  13. chest — of your body
  14. snap — to click
  15. cap — of ice
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. present — the time now
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cap — a hat
  22. club — for dancing
  23. swing — to play on
  24. club — a group

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