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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. net — in sport
  10. content — the amount
  11. mine — for digging
  12. deal — to handle
  13. chip — for betting
  14. march — the month
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lean — thin
  17. net — after costs
  18. stem — to come from
  19. net — for catching
  20. march — music
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. lean — to bend

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