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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cue · wound · mine · safe · track · racket · cell · bass

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cue — for pool
  4. track — a path
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bass — low music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cue — a signal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wound — an injury
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — in biology
  24. track — a song

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