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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 116 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. file — a tool
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bound — obliged
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bound — certain
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. content — happy
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cue — for pool
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. sharp — clever

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