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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cell — a phone
  5. game — a match
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. content — the amount
  8. game — wild animals
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. club — a group
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mark — a grade
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. content — happy
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rock — a stone
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rock — music
  20. mark — a trace
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. club — for golf

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