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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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Word bank
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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. court — of a king
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stem — to come from
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cue — for pool
  24. ruler — a monarch

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