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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cell — a phone
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. current — happening now
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. current — of water
  9. toast — bread
  10. march — music
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. file — a tool
  14. content — the amount
  15. march — the month
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. march — the month
  18. file — a line of people
  19. current — electric
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cell — in biology
  24. file — a document

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