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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stem — to come from
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. toast — bread
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kid — child
  17. hand — help
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chip — to eat
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pop — to visit

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