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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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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. content — the amount
  6. cue — a hint
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. scale — size or range
  10. content — happy
  11. cue — for pool
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wake — a trail
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. snap — to click
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bat — the animal
  19. scale — in music
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cue — a signal
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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