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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fall — the season
  3. pit — a hole
  4. field — a subject
  5. craft — boats
  6. field — for sport
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. cue — for pool
  10. scale — size or range
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fall — to drop
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cue — a signal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pit — in a race
  24. hand — help

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