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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. content — the amount
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. band — a ring
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. content — happy
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stem — to come from
  24. content — videos and posts

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