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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. content — the amount
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. content — happy
  7. firm — a company
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. capital — money
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wound — an injury
  12. key — in music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wound — an injury
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. firm — decided
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. key — the most important part
  22. capital — a city
  23. firm — steady
  24. wax — for sculpting

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