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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · track · cue · season · face · row · foot · wound

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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 — a hint
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. track — a path
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. cue — for pool
  9. face — part of the head
  10. track — to keep track
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — to confront
  18. row — to paddle
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. face — to point toward
  21. track — a song
  22. cell — a phone
  23. foot — a measure
  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