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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. content — happy
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cell — a phone
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — in a race
  12. hand — help
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pit — a hole
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cell — in biology
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. content — the amount
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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