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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. content — happy
  4. net — for catching
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. sharp — clever
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — after costs
  13. rule — a law
  14. stem — to come from
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. content — the amount
  24. rule — government

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