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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: season · cold · prune · temple · content · bowl · suit · ruler

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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 — happy
  2. suit — to fit
  3. content — the amount
  4. suit — in cards
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. season — in sport
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. suit — clothes
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. content — videos and posts
  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