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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. content — happy
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. face — part of the head
  5. board — to get on
  6. face — to point toward
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. face — to confront
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cell — in biology
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cell — a phone
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mate — to breed
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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