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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. field — a subject
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bat — the animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. field — for sport
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. board — a committee
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. field — farmland
  15. cue — a signal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bat — in an idiom

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