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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. cue — for pool
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. field — farmland
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rule — government
  18. bass — low music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. court — of a king
  21. snap — to click
  22. rule — a law
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — the instrument

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