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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cap — of ice
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rest — a break
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. last — to go on
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cap — a lid
  10. content — happy
  11. last — final
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. content — the amount
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. last — finally

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