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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 · lie · rock · mate · cell · key · capital · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rock — a stone
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. content — happy
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. content — the amount
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rock — music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. capital — money
  16. mate — a friend
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. capital — a city
  19. lie — to recline
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. key — in 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