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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: mark · wind · mate · cue · temple · cap · row · cell

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cell — a phone
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mark — a grade
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mark — a trace
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wind — moving air
  22. row — a line
  23. wind — moving air
  24. temple — a place of worship

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