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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: pit · club · net · cell · mouse · lie · content · staff

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lie — to recline
  4. net — for catching
  5. club — for golf
  6. content — the amount
  7. net — in sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. net — after costs
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. content — happy
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pit — in a race
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. staff — a stick
  24. club — a group

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