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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. content — the amount
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pop — soda
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pop — music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — thin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. lean — to bend

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