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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: season · board · cue · chip · cell · mate · mine · calf

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mate — a partner
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cue — a hint
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mine — for digging
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. season — in sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mate — to breed
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mate — a friend

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