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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: cell · fan · present · wound · spell · cue · last · pit

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. spell — magic
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cue — a hint
  7. present — the time now
  8. cell — a phone
  9. last — to go on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pit — in a race
  12. last — final
  13. spell — letters
  14. present — a gift
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cell — in biology
  17. present — there
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. last — finally
  24. pit — a hole

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