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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cue — a signal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. field — for sport
  6. mug — a face
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — a subject
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mug — to rob
  11. drill — army training
  12. field — farmland
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cap — of ice
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cue — for pool
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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