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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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 signal
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mug — a cup
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cue — for pool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. hand — help
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mug — a face
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fall — the season
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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