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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. club — for dancing
  4. root — the cause
  5. club — a group
  6. stock — goods
  7. content — the amount
  8. stock — shares
  9. rest — what's left
  10. root — of a word
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fine — high quality
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. root — of a plant
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. content — happy
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rest — a break
  21. fine — all right
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. club — for golf

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