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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cap — a hat
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. content — happy
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. face — part of the head
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cap — a lid
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. face — to point toward
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. face — to confront

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