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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — letters
  5. degree — an amount
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — temperature
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. content — the amount
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. spell — magic
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. degree — from a university
  24. content — happy

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