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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: pass · stem · pit · chest · lie · current · degree · content

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stem — to come from
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pit — a hole
  9. degree — an amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. content — the amount
  14. current — happening now
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. current — of water
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. content — happy
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chest — a box
  24. pass — a permit

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