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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. game — a match
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. game — wild animals
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rock — music
  11. field — for sport
  12. pound — a weight
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. field — a subject
  15. rash — hasty
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rash — a series
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fork — in a road
  22. field — farmland
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rash — on the skin

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