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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. can — to be able to
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — to breed
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cue — for pool
  14. can — a tin
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mate — a friend
  18. can — a tin
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chair — a leader
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cue — a signal

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