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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — a subject
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stand — to bear
  20. field — farmland
  21. date — the fruit
  22. field — for sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. roll — a list

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