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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. charge — a price
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cold — not warm
  7. content — happy
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bore — to drill
  13. swing — to play on
  14. content — the amount
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. charge — in control
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bore — to tire

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