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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: drill · game · racket · craft · cue · cell · mate · land

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cue — a signal
  3. land — a country
  4. cue — for pool
  5. land — to come down
  6. game — a match
  7. mate — a partner
  8. drill — army training
  9. mate — to breed
  10. land — ground
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. craft — a skill
  15. drill — a practice
  16. craft — boats
  17. mate — a friend
  18. drill — the tool
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cue — a hint
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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