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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: roll · bound · mark · cell · object · court · cue · bulb

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. court — for sport
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. court — of a king
  7. object — to protest
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bound — certain
  13. object — a thing
  14. bound — obliged
  15. court — of law
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. object — an aim
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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