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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. shower — to wash
  4. content — the amount
  5. field — for sport
  6. capital — money
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. content — happy
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stem — to come from
  13. clip — a video
  14. shower — rain
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. clip — to cut
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — a city
  21. field — farmland
  22. clip — for paper
  23. field — a subject
  24. deal — an agreement

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