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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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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 · bore · cue · snap · mate · deal · bound · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cue — a hint
  4. net — after costs
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — to drill
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cell — in biology
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. snap — to click
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cue — for pool
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bound — tied together
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cue — a signal
  22. net — for catching
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bound — obliged

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