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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pit — in a race
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — happy
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chip — to eat
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. dip — to sink
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wax — to grow
  18. kick — in football
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chip — for betting
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pit — a hole

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