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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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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: cold · can · cell · snap · squash · cue · last · calf

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cue — for pool
  3. can — to be able to
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. snap — to click
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. can — a tin
  8. last — final
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cold — an illness
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cold — not warm
  23. can — a tin
  24. cue — a signal

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