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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
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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: court · content · squash · snap · spell · cell · mouse · season

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. content — the amount
  4. cell — in biology
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. court — of a king
  7. squash — the sport
  8. snap — to click
  9. court — of law
  10. spell — a short time
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. court — for sport
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spell — magic
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cell — in a prison

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