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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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mate — a friend
  8. track — a song
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mate — to breed
  12. track — a path
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cell — a phone
  16. content — the amount
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. content — happy
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fall — the season
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cue — for pool

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