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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 120 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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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: chair · cue · file · snap · cell · craft · racket · fall

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. craft — boats
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cell — a phone
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. file — a tool
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. craft — a skill
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. snap — to click
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. craft — a handicraft

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