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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. cue — a signal
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — for sport
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cue — for pool
  16. stock — shares
  17. lie — to recline
  18. court — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. stock — goods
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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