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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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 — a phone
  4. cue — a hint
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spring — the season
  8. board — to get on
  9. present — there
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. root — of a plant
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. present — a gift
  15. board — a committee
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cue — for pool
  18. present — the time now
  19. spring — a coil
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. spring — of water

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