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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: hand · cell · cue · current · bore · content · roll · field

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. field — for sport
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cue — for pool
  5. roll — a list
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. roll — a cake
  11. hand — help
  12. bore — to drill
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. cell — a phone
  16. content — happy
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cue — a signal
  19. field — a subject
  20. cue — a hint
  21. current — electric
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — on a roll

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