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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: shower · bound · cell · cue · sharp · chest · pass · craft

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cell — in biology
  3. shower — to wash
  4. craft — boats
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. shower — rain
  8. cue — a signal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bound — certain
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. chest — of your body
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cue — for pool
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cell — in a prison

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