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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: lie · cell · cue · chair · bass · bound · leaves · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bound — certain
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cell — in biology
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lie — to recline
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. cue — a hint

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