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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: jam · last · cue · face · cell · lash · prune · court

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. last — final
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. last — finally
  8. court — of law
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. face — to confront
  12. cue — a signal
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. court — for sport
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. court — of a king
  20. cue — for pool
  21. last — to go on
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. cell — a phone
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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