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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. field — for sport
  6. rule — government
  7. drill — army training
  8. rule — a law
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cue — for pool
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. field — a subject
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. field — farmland
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cue — a hint

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