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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: content · straw · mouse · cue · track · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. track — a path
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. track — a song
  8. content — the amount
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. spell — magic
  14. content — happy
  15. spell — a short time
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. track — to keep track
  18. straw — a straw man

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