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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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 — a signal
  2. capital — a city
  3. field — a subject
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fork — in a road
  6. field — for sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wind — moving air
  10. field — farmland
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. capital — money
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bore — to tire
  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