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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. court — for sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lie — to recline
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cue — a signal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — of a king
  20. field — farmland
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. court — of law
  23. spring — the season
  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