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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. can — a tin
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ground — crushed
  8. current — of water
  9. pit — a hole
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rule — a law
  12. ground — the earth
  13. content — the amount
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rule — government
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. current — electric
  18. ground — a position
  19. current — happening now
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. can — a tin

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