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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · capital · cell · lash · content · spell · safe · pitch

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pitch — completely
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. cell — in biology
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. content — happy
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. spell — letters
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. capital — a city
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. content — the amount

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