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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cold — an illness
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mark — a grade
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rock — music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. content — happy
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rock — a stone
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cold — not warm

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