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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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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: bass · content · cap · wound · bat · cue

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cue — a hint
  7. content — the amount
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. content — happy
  10. bass — low music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bat — the animal

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