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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. drill — army training
  6. root — of a plant
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. root — of a word
  14. cold — not warm
  15. chip — for betting
  16. toast — bread
  17. root — the cause
  18. chip — to eat
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cold — an illness
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cell — a phone
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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