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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. content — happy
  4. cell — in biology
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pop — music
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pop — soda
  20. capital — money
  21. rest — a break
  22. content — the amount
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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