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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · present · pop · fan · cell · game · bear · snap

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. present — the time now
  4. cell — in biology
  5. snap — to click
  6. foot — a measure
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. present — a gift
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pop — soda
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pop — music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bear — the animal
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. present — there
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bear — to put up with

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