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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chest — of your body
  4. object — an aim
  5. pit — in a race
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. object — to protest
  8. chest — a box
  9. ball — a dance
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. staff — employees
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. object — a thing
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. staff — employees
  20. content — the amount
  21. fine — high quality
  22. content — happy
  23. pit — a hole
  24. stem — a stem cell

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