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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: content · hand · cue · snap · season · land · spell · can

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. can — a tin
  3. cue — a hint
  4. season — of the year
  5. cue — a signal
  6. land — ground
  7. hand — help
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hand — in cards
  12. spell — a short time
  13. land — a country
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. land — to come down
  18. snap — to click
  19. spell — letters
  20. cue — for pool
  21. content — happy
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — in sport
  24. can — to be able to

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