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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pit — a hole
  4. content — happy
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cell — a phone
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. key — the most important part
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cell — in biology
  14. content — the amount
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. fine — all right
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. key — in music
  22. fine — high quality
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bowl — to roll

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