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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rest — a break
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. dip — to sink
  24. stem — to come from

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