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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spell — letters
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. field — for sport
  9. bore — to drill
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. field — a subject
  15. cue — for pool
  16. field — farmland
  17. spell — magic
  18. lean — thin

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