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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rest — what's left
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. drill — the tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mug — a cup
  13. drill — army training
  14. rest — a break
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mug — a face
  20. kid — child
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. craft — boats
  24. cell — in a prison

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