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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.

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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mark — a trace
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fall — to drop
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mark — a grade
  11. club — for golf
  12. content — happy
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cell — in biology
  15. club — a group
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fall — the season
  21. club — for dancing
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stem — to come from

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