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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 124 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. capital — money
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. content — happy
  6. tear — to rip
  7. content — the amount
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cell — in biology
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. club — for golf
  14. key — the most important part
  15. capital — a city
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. key — in music
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. club — for dancing
  20. key — for a lock
  21. club — a group
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. tear — from crying

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