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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bulb — for light
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. hand — help
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. drill — army training

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