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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mate — to breed
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. club — a group
  5. squash — to crush
  6. content — the amount
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cell — in biology
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. club — for golf
  18. stem — to come from
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. content — happy

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