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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mug — a cup
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. track — to keep track
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cold — not warm
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. content — happy
  24. track — a path

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