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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. file — a line of people
  4. content — happy
  5. present — there
  6. cell — in biology
  7. present — the time now
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. file — a tool
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. file — a document
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. content — the amount
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. spring — a coil
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. date — the fruit
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cell — a phone
  22. spring — of water
  23. present — a gift
  24. bay — a horse colour

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