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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. file — a tool
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. degree — temperature
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cell — in biology
  11. file — a line of people
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cell — a phone
  19. file — a document
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. temple — side of the head

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