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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: clip · bay · cue · cold · toast · deal · leaves · cell

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cue — a hint
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. clip — a video
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. cold — not warm
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. deal — to handle
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cue — a signal
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cold — an illness
  24. toast — bread

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