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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
468
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: cell · face · cue · can · dip · land · field · content

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. field — a subject
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — for sport
  5. cue — a signal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cell — in biology
  9. land — ground
  10. field — farmland
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cue — a hint
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. content — happy
  17. can — a tin
  18. cue — for pool
  19. face — to confront
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. face — part of the head
  23. content — the amount
  24. land — a country

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