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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: cell · ball · stick · bat · racket · content

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. content — happy
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. content — the amount
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cell — a phone
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bat — for baseball

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