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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. swing — in golf
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. swing — to play on
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. swing — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. content — happy
  21. bat — the animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. dip — to sink
  24. content — the 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