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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.

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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 · mug · bore · cell · bat · deal · leaves · bowl

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bore — to drill
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mug — a face
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bore — to tire
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cue — for pool

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