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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. kid — child
  14. face — to confront
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bulb — for light
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — for digging
  24. face — to point toward

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