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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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Word bank
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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: content · cell · clip · fine · cabinet · temple · ground · tube

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. content — happy
  3. tube — the underground
  4. fine — high quality
  5. clip — for paper
  6. ground — the earth
  7. content — the amount
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. tube — a container
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — to cut
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cell — in biology
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tube — in a tire

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