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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 120 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: content · cue · fan · row · bat · present · ball · straw

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. row — a line
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. present — the time now
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cue — a signal
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. content — happy
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. content — the amount
  18. present — there
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a dance
  21. row — to paddle
  22. present — a gift
  23. ball — a great time
  24. fan — to cool the air

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