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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. swing — music
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lie — to recline
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. swing — to play on
  11. content — happy
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. prune — to trim
  14. roll — a cake
  15. content — the amount
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. roll — a list
  19. prune — to trim
  20. swing — in golf
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. lie — an untruth

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