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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stem — to come from
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hand — help
  6. capital — money
  7. content — the amount
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. object — to protest
  10. stock — shares
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. track — a song
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. hand — in cards
  15. track — a path
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. content — happy
  20. capital — a city
  21. stock — goods
  22. object — a thing
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stock — a soup base

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