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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cue — for pool
  3. field — farmland
  4. court — for sport
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. field — for sport
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — the tool
  10. snap — to click
  11. cue — a signal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cue — a hint
  19. field — a subject
  20. drill — the tool
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. drill — army training
  23. saw — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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