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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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. foot — a measure
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bound — certain
  6. root — the cause
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cell — in biology
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bound — tied together
  16. root — of a plant
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. root — of a word
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bound — obliged
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. foot — the bottom

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