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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: fan · pitcher · cell · board · bark · cue · chair · race

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — a committee
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cell — a phone
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. board — to get on
  18. cue — a hint
  19. race — humankind
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cell — in biology
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pitcher — a jug

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