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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: rock · ground · board · hand · present · spell · cue · cell

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rock — a stone
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hand — help
  9. present — there
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ground — the earth
  12. spell — letters
  13. present — a gift
  14. board — to get on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. board — a committee
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ground — a position
  20. present — the time now
  21. rock — music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. spell — magic

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