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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. toast — bread
  12. shower — rain
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. stem — to come from
  16. content — happy
  17. date — the fruit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. saw — the tool
  24. date — on the calendar

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