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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: tear · pop · cue · foot · calf · kick · cell · season

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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 a prison
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. pop — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pop — soda
  7. cue — a hint
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — in football
  11. tear — to rip
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. tear — from crying
  16. season — of the year
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pop — to visit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  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