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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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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: mate · cue · fine · scale · dip · stand · bound · foot

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fine — all right
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bound — obliged
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. scale — size or range
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bound — tied together
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bound — certain
  17. cue — a hint
  18. dip — to sink
  19. stand — to bear
  20. scale — in music
  21. foot — a measure
  22. cue — for pool
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mate — to breed

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