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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. content — the amount
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. shower — to wash
  10. squash — to crush
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cell — a phone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. shower — rain
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a hint

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