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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · degree · net · cue · sharp · tube · coach · mine

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. cue — a signal
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. sharp — clever
  4. net — in sport
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cue — for pool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tube — a container
  9. net — after costs
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. net — for catching
  15. tube — the underground
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mine — for digging
  20. degree — an amount
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cell — a phone
  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