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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. content — the amount
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mark — a trace
  6. court — of a king
  7. chest — of your body
  8. court — of law
  9. content — happy
  10. chest — a box
  11. stem — to come from
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — for sport
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mark — a grade
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. fan — a supporter

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