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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 120 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 · season · board · capital · swing · cell · bulb · chest

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. season — of the year
  6. chest — a box
  7. cell — a phone
  8. board — a committee
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — to get on
  11. capital — money
  12. chest — of your body
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. content — happy
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. swing — to play on
  19. season — in sport
  20. capital — a city
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. swing — music

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