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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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. mug — a face
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. mug — to rob
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. file — a tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wake — a trail
  17. file — a document
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mug — a cup
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. temple — a place of worship

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