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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pop — soda
  4. object — an aim
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. mark — a trace
  10. object — a thing
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pop — to visit
  13. content — the amount
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. content — happy
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pop — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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