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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cap — of ice
  4. deal — to handle
  5. current — electric
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. content — the amount
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fine — high quality
  12. current — of water
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. content — happy
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. current — happening now

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