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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. foot — a measure
  7. can — a tin
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. kick — in football
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. drill — the tool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. drill — a practice
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. can — to be able to
  21. drill — army training
  22. can — a tin
  23. content — happy
  24. jam — a tight spot

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