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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 · hide · plane · bore · game · chest · club · cell

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cell — a phone
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. content — happy
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cell — in biology
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. content — the amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chest — a box
  18. game — wild animals
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. game — a match
  22. bore — to tire
  23. club — a group
  24. chest — of your body

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