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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cue — for pool
  7. field — a subject
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. file — a tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — low music
  15. rule — a law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. rule — government
  21. file — a document
  22. cue — a hint
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. file — a line of people

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