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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. press — a publisher
  5. content — the amount
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cue — a signal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stock — goods
  19. dip — to sink
  20. press — to push
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cold — not warm
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. content — happy

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