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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. roll — a list
  4. net — after costs
  5. stand — to bear
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cue — a signal
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — electric
  14. firm — steady
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. net — in sport
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. cue — a hint
  20. current — of water
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. current — happening now

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