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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. clip — to cut
  8. field — a subject
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. craft — a skill
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. field — farmland
  14. toast — bread
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. craft — boats
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. snap — to click

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