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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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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 · rule · bass · cue · cap · race

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bass — low music
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cue — for pool
  10. race — humankind
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. race — a contest
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bass — the fish
  18. 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