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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: fall · content · net · spell · fork · face · cue · bat

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cue — a hint
  5. content — the amount
  6. fall — the season
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. spell — a short time
  12. net — after costs
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cue — a signal
  15. content — happy
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spell — magic
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spell — letters
  23. cue — for pool
  24. net — in sport

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