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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. swing — music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. staff — employees
  5. land — ground
  6. staff — employees
  7. content — the amount
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cap — of ice
  12. staff — a stick
  13. swing — to play on
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. swing — in golf
  18. mark — a grade
  19. lie — to recline
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stem — of a plant

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