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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: cue · roll · sharp · field · dip · cell · temple · mug

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cue — a signal
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. cell — in biology
  10. roll — a list
  11. mug — to rob
  12. field — a subject
  13. roll — a cake
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cue — for pool
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mug — a face
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cue — a hint
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. field — for sport
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. field — farmland
  24. cell — a phone

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