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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: content · can · mouse · bat · cell · land · cue · ball

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. land — a country
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. content — happy
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bat — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. land — ground
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. can — a tin
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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