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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · cell · bay · bat · content · court · pitcher · staff

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ball — a dance
  4. staff — employees
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. court — for sport
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. court — of law
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. court — of a king
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cell — a phone
  20. content — the amount
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. content — happy
  24. ball — a round shape

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