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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. wound — an injury
  9. content — happy
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cell — in biology
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. capital — a city
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — the amount
  20. wound — an injury
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. toast — bread
  24. mark — a grade

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