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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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. degree — an amount
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. degree — temperature
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cue — a signal
  11. snap — to click
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — from a university
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hand — help
  24. cue — for pool

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