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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cell — a phone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cue — for pool
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cap — a lid
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cap — a hat
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cue — a hint
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cap — of ice
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. coach — a trainer

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