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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. capital — a city
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tube — a container
  7. file — a document
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cue — a hint
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cue — for pool
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. file — a tool
  14. mate — a friend
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. craft — boats
  17. tube — the underground
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. file — a line of people
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mate — to breed

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