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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: temple · date · snap · content · safe · tear · cell · racket

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cell — a phone
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. content — happy
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. snap — to click
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — from crying
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. tear — from crying
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cell — in biology
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. safe — out of danger

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