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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. track — a path
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. net — for catching
  6. cue — for pool
  7. clip — a video
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. net — after costs
  10. craft — boats
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. track — to keep track
  15. craft — a skill
  16. track — a song
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — in sport
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. pitcher — a jug

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