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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 120 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: ball · spring · saw · rest · net · cell · charge · content

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. charge — electricity
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spring — the season
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. charge — a price
  9. rest — what's left
  10. content — the amount
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. net — after costs
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. content — happy
  21. charge — in control
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. ball — a great time

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