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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. content — the amount
  6. net — for catching
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — a trace
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cell — a phone
  14. net — in sport
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — after costs
  19. content — happy
  20. game — a match
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. game — wild animals

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