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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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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cue — for pool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. firm — a company
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. firm — steady
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. kid — child
  17. net — in sport
  18. cell — a phone
  19. firm — decided
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. kid — to tease

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