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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. clip — a video
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. rest — what's left
  7. content — the amount
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kick — in football
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rest — what's left
  13. key — the most important part
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. key — in music
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. track — to keep track
  19. clip — to cut
  20. content — happy
  21. stem — to come from
  22. track — a song
  23. rest — a break
  24. track — a path

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