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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. chest — a box
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stand — to bear
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. stem — to come from
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. content — the amount
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. season — in sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. scale — size or range
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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