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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
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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: mate · can · coach · content · hand · ball · cell · rush

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. content — happy
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rush — hurry
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. can — to be able to
  9. hand — in cards
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mate — a partner
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. can — a tin
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hand — help
  17. cell — in biology
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. can — a tin
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mate — to breed

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