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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · bowl · plane · straw · temple · content · foot · kid

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kid — child
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. content — the amount
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cell — a phone
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cell — in biology
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. plane — a tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. content — happy
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. temple — side of the head

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