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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 124 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stand — to bear
  5. content — the amount
  6. fine — all right
  7. cap — a lid
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fine — high quality
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. cap — of ice
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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