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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 116 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: board · last · mark · bark · cell · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. last — final
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. last — finally
  6. cue — a hint
  7. board — a committee
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cue — a signal
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. last — to go on
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mark — a grade

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