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

Word bank: bay · stem · stick · hide · chair · content · cell · foot

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. foot — a measure
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cell — in biology
  17. content — the amount
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — a phone

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