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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · spell · cell · date · rush · spring · content · chair

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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. rush — to hurry
  4. date — the fruit
  5. spring — of water
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spring — a coil
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. spell — letters
  11. chair — a leader
  12. content — happy
  13. spring — the season
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spell — a short time
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cell — in biology
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spell — magic
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. temple — a place of worship

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