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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pit — a hole
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. track — to keep track
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pit — in a race
  13. track — a song
  14. chest — of your body
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. content — the amount
  17. face — to confront
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chest — a box
  20. content — happy
  21. track — a path
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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