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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
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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: mark · game · pop · can · content · perch · cell · scale

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. scale — size or range
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. scale — in music
  7. content — happy
  8. game — a match
  9. content — the amount
  10. can — a tin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. cell — in biology
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mark — a trace
  21. game — wild animals
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cell — a phone

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