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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cue — a signal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cell — in biology
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. fine — all right
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cold — the Cold War

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