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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. content — the amount
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cap — a hat
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cap — of ice

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