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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. key — for a lock
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. content — happy
  6. key — the most important part
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. content — the amount
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pass — a permit
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. key — in music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wax — to grow
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. drill — army training

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