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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. content — happy
  4. face — to point toward
  5. present — a gift
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stem — to come from
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. face — to confront
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. drill — army training
  20. face — part of the head
  21. content — the amount
  22. drill — the tool
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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