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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bat — the animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. content — the amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cue — for pool
  22. can — to be able to
  23. content — happy
  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