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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. root — of a word
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stem — to come from
  6. root — the cause
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. content — happy
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fine — all right
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. swing — music
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fine — high quality
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. swing — in golf
  23. cell — a phone
  24. content — the amount

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