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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. track — a path
  4. staff — a stick
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. vault — a safe
  8. track — a song
  9. stem — to come from
  10. content — the amount
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. content — happy
  16. cue — for pool
  17. staff — employees
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. track — to keep track
  20. capital — money
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pit — in a race
  23. capital — a city
  24. staff — employees

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