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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rush — hurry
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. saw — the tool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. season — in sport
  11. pop — soda
  12. stem — to come from
  13. chest — of your body
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. content — the amount
  18. pop — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. season — of the year
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. scale — in music

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