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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. firm — decided
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. content — happy
  9. march — music
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. content — the amount
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. march — the month
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. firm — a company
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. game — a match
  19. march — the month
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ball — a dance
  22. firm — steady
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. deal — to handle

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