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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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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. last — final
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fall — to drop
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fall — the season
  8. last — finally
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — crushed
  11. charge — a price
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. charge — in control
  15. track — to keep track
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. cell — in biology
  23. last — to go on
  24. cue — a hint

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