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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. drill — a practice
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fine — all right
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. land — to come down
  8. degree — temperature
  9. content — the amount
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. degree — from a university
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. land — ground
  19. content — happy
  20. fine — high quality
  21. land — a country
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. degree — an amount

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