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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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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: cue · bowl · content · chip · cell · capital · perch · temple

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. content — happy
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. perch — the fish
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. capital — money
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cell — in biology
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cue — for pool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cell — in a prison
  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