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

Word bank: hide · content · pound · roll · cue · bay

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pound — a weight
  4. content — the amount
  5. roll — a list
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cue — for pool
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pound — to hit hard

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