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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · content · last · net · cue · can · pitcher · season

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. content — happy
  4. can — a tin
  5. net — for catching
  6. spell — a short time
  7. net — in sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — finally
  10. cue — a signal
  11. last — final
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. last — to go on
  14. content — the amount
  15. can — a tin
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. net — after costs
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cue — a hint
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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