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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: court · stick · cue · march · snap · cell · net · squash

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. net — for catching
  6. cell — a phone
  7. court — of law
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. march — the month
  10. net — in sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. cell — in biology
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cue — a signal
  15. snap — to click
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. march — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. squash — the sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. court — for sport
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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