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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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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. field — a subject
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. field — farmland
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cue — a hint
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cap — a lid
  19. content — happy
  20. bat — the animal
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. field — for sport
  24. content — the amount

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