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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stand — to bear
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. land — ground
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rest — what's left
  19. land — to come down
  20. rest — a break
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. land — a country

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