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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fine — all right
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fine — high quality
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bound — certain
  13. cue — for pool
  14. drill — army training
  15. cue — a hint
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bound — tied together

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