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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. kick — in football
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. field — farmland
  8. cue — a hint
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. field — a subject
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cue — for pool
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mouse — the animal

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