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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chest — of your body
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. firm — steady
  6. shower — to wash
  7. swing — in golf
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cue — for pool
  11. chest — a box
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. shower — rain
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stem — to come from
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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