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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: toast · swing · scale · cell · bat · content · cue · craft

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. swing — in golf
  2. content — happy
  3. cue — for pool
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cue — a signal
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bat — the animal
  11. craft — a skill
  12. scale — in music
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. craft — boats
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. swing — music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cell — in biology
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cell — a phone
  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