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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. content — the amount
  3. last — to go on
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pit — in a race
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pit — a hole
  9. present — there
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. stem — to come from
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. last — final
  16. track — to keep track
  17. last — finally
  18. present — a gift
  19. hand — help
  20. present — the time now
  21. content — happy
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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