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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. drill — army training
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. drill — the tool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cell — in biology
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. season — of the year
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. foot — a measure
  24. season — in sport

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