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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: cue · cap · bat · season · cell · dip · shower · craft

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cell — in biology
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. craft — boats
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. season — in sport
  13. cap — of ice
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. season — of the year
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. craft — a skill

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