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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. can — a tin
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rash — a series
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — in biology
  9. spring — a coil
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — happy
  12. board — to get on
  13. content — the amount
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rash — hasty
  16. board — a committee
  17. pass — a permit
  18. spring — of water
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. clip — a video
  22. spring — the season
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rash — on the skin

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