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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. kick — in football
  23. content — the amount
  24. bear — the animal

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