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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. swing — music
  3. content — the amount
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. content — happy
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cell — a phone
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. swing — in golf
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mark — a grade
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. swing — to play on
  17. chip — for betting
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mark — a trace
  21. chip — to eat
  22. object — a thing
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. temple — a place of worship

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