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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: cue · spring · saw · jam · content · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cue — for pool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. content — the amount
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. spring — the season
  13. saw — the tool
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. spring — of water

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