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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. drill — army training
  4. content — happy
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. band — a ring
  7. cue — for pool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cue — a hint
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. drill — the tool
  15. content — the amount
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chip — to eat
  19. club — a group
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. club — for golf
  22. band — a music group
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. drill — a practice

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