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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. suit — clothes
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. net — after costs
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. cap — a lid
  8. suit — in cards
  9. content — the amount
  10. cap — of ice
  11. net — in sport
  12. fine — high quality
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. suit — to fit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stem — to come from
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. net — for catching
  24. fine — all right

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