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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.

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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. content — happy
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — the amount
  15. chest — of your body
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. can — to be able to
  24. date — on the calendar

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