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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cell — a phone
  3. kid — child
  4. cell — in biology
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. board — a committee
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stock — shares
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. stock — goods
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. content — the amount
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. kid — to tease
  22. board — to get on
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wave — with your hand

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