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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. content — happy
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stand — to bear
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. content — the amount
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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