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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. content — the amount
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. content — happy
  7. lean — thin
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — a partner
  11. chip — for betting
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cell — a phone
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chip — to eat
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fork — in a road
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fork — a garden tool

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