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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cue — a signal
  6. field — a subject
  7. cue — a hint
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. content — the amount
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. field — for sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spring — a coil
  14. field — farmland
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spring — the season
  17. pit — a hole
  18. content — happy
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. toast — bread
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. spring — of water
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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