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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 · cue · wound · board · ball · pitcher · net · craft

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. board — to get on
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. craft — boats
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. board — a committee
  12. net — in sport
  13. ball — a great time
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — a signal
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — a skill
  23. cell — in biology
  24. ball — a round shape

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