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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: content · cell · cue · scale · capital · foot · lash · ball

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. foot — a measure
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cue — a signal
  5. capital — money
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. content — the amount
  8. scale — in music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. content — happy
  11. cell — in biology
  12. scale — size or range
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. capital — a city
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cell — a phone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. ball — a great time
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cue — a hint
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cue — for pool

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