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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. charge — a price
  5. face — to confront
  6. track — to keep track
  7. charge — in control
  8. content — the amount
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. track — a song
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. track — a path
  18. face — to point toward
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — part of the head

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