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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. track — a song
  3. pop — music
  4. stem — to come from
  5. tube — a container
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mate — to breed
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. track — a path
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. track — to keep track

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