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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. content — the amount
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. suit — to fit
  6. degree — from a university
  7. content — happy
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. suit — clothes
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. degree — temperature
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. capital — a city
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. suit — in cards
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pop — music
  22. capital — money
  23. cell — a phone
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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