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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 · cell · march · court · perch · mate · spell · can

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cell — in biology
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. can — a tin
  7. spell — a short time
  8. content — the amount
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. mate — to breed
  12. court — for sport
  13. spell — magic
  14. march — the month
  15. content — happy
  16. court — of a king
  17. march — music
  18. cell — a phone
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — a partner
  21. spell — letters
  22. court — of law
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mate — a friend

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