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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cold · net · season · board · scale · cue · bore

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. board — a committee
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cell — a phone
  8. season — of the year
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. net — in sport
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. net — after costs
  14. cue — a signal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. scale — in music
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cold — an illness
  19. net — for catching
  20. board — to get on
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cell — in biology
  24. board — a flat piece

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