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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — a hint
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. field — farmland
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bass — low music
  12. drill — army training
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bass — the fish
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. prune — to trim
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cue — for pool
  23. field — a subject
  24. cue — a signal

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