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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. content — the amount
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stem — to come from
  8. net — after costs
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. content — happy
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. net — in sport
  15. suit — to fit
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. net — for catching

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