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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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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: bass · cue · mate · cabinet · spell · present · chest · cap

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bass — low music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cap — of ice
  6. present — the time now
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spell — letters
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — to breed
  13. present — a gift
  14. cue — a hint
  15. spell — a short time
  16. present — there
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chest — a box
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spell — magic
  24. bass — the instrument

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