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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. firm — steady
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. present — there
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stock — shares
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. firm — decided
  11. present — a gift
  12. shower — to wash
  13. face — to point toward
  14. present — the time now
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. face — to confront
  17. vault — a safe
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. firm — a company
  21. stock — goods
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. shower — rain

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