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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · foot · squash · file · bound · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. file — a document
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bound — tied together
  6. file — a tool
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cell — in biology
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cue — a signal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. foot — a measure
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush

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