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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bulb — for light
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mate — a partner
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pop — to visit
  16. snap — to click
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mate — a friend

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