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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pop — soda
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. file — a tool
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. file — a document
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pop — to visit
  19. game — a match
  20. mark — a grade
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mark — to pay attention

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