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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. content — happy
  5. object — to protest
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bore — to tire
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bore — to drill
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — a thing
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rule — a law
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. roll — a list
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. content — the amount
  24. rule — government

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