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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: bowl · cap · cell · content · lash · jam · roll · dip

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cap — a lid
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. content — happy
  14. cap — of ice
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. dip — to sink
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. content — the amount
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. lash — an eyelash

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