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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. cell — a phone
  2. content — the amount
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. band — a ring
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mug — a cup
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mug — a face
  14. mate — a friend
  15. band — a music group
  16. bat — the animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lean — thin
  20. content — happy
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  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