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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. net — for catching
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. content — happy
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. spell — a short time
  7. present — there
  8. content — the amount
  9. net — after costs
  10. spell — letters
  11. toast — bread
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cell — a phone
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. cell — in biology
  17. present — the time now
  18. net — in sport
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spell — magic
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. present — a gift

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