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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: bat · content · cue · cell · sharp · tube · toast · net

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. net — in sport
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cue — a signal
  13. net — for catching
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. content — the amount
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cue — for pool
  18. content — happy
  19. cue — a hint
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — clever
  22. tube — a container
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bat — the animal

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