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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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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: game · cell · hand · cue · lie · cap · snap · fork

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cue — a signal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cap — a hat
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cap — of ice
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. hand — help
  12. game — a match
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cue — a hint
  17. hand — in cards
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — a phone

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