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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: drill · club · roll · cell · cue · craft · mine · rock

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. club — for golf
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. club — a group
  11. rock — music
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cell — a phone
  16. craft — a skill
  17. roll — a list
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. drill — army training
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cell — in biology
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rock — to move gently

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