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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: spell · bass · cold · cue · cell · saw · toast · pitcher

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. cue — for pool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cell — in biology
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cold — not warm
  13. toast — bread
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. spell — letters
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spell — magic
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bass — the instrument
  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