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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rule — government
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. can — to be able to
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. content — happy
  13. court — of a king
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. staff — employees
  18. fork — in a road
  19. key — in music
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fork — to eat with

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