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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pit — a hole
  6. content — the amount
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — a phone
  9. board — a committee
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. board — to get on
  15. pit — in a race
  16. club — a group
  17. bore — to tire
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. club — for golf
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bore — to drill
  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