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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.

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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: bore · cap · content · bear · cue · squash · mark · bat

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mark — a grade
  5. content — happy
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bore — to tire
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. content — the amount
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bat — in an idiom

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