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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. drill — a practice
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. present — there
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. present — a gift
  16. drill — army training
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. toast — bread
  19. present — the time now
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. drill — the tool

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