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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: straw · cap · racket · cue · mouse · board · spell · cell

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spell — letters
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cell — in biology
  7. spell — magic
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cap — a lid
  14. board — to get on
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. board — a committee
  23. cell — a phone
  24. racket — a loud noise

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