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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. roll — a cake
  3. fine — high quality
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. spell — a short time
  10. content — the amount
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fine — all right
  13. snap — to click
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spell — magic
  16. content — happy
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. roll — a list
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fall — the season
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fall — to drop

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