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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — tied together
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — in sport
  12. content — the amount
  13. rest — a break
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kick — in football
  20. net — after costs
  21. bound — certain
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stem — a stem cell

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