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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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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: chest · mark · bat · pop · cue · mouse · content · hand

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. chest — a box
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cue — a hint
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cue — a signal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pop — music
  15. hand — help
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cue — for pool
  18. content — happy
  19. pop — soda
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pop — to visit
  23. content — the amount
  24. hand — in cards

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