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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 · mine · board · date · land · racket · cue · mate

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. date — the fruit
  6. land — to come down
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. land — ground
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cue — a hint
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cue — for pool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cell — a phone
  23. board — a committee
  24. land — a country

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