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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. track — a song
  3. band — a ring
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. track — to keep track
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. chest — of your body
  14. root — of a plant
  15. chest — a box
  16. track — a path
  17. key — in music
  18. toast — bread
  19. key — for a lock
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a music group
  24. stem — of a plant

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