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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. content — happy
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mug — a face
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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