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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: safe · fall · cue · drill · racket · season · kid · cell

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. kid — child
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. drill — a practice
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fall — the season
  12. drill — army training
  13. cue — a signal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — to tease
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. season — in sport
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cell — in biology
  22. season — of the year
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cue — a hint

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