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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — employees
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ground — the earth
  5. staff — a stick
  6. date — the fruit
  7. content — the amount
  8. spell — a short time
  9. staff — employees
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. band — a ring
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. content — happy
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. spell — letters
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. band — a music group
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spell — magic
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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