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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mark — a grade
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. content — happy
  12. bound — certain
  13. mark — a trace
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bound — obliged
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bound — tied together
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mouse — the animal

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