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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. content — happy
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cue — for pool
  18. content — the amount
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. field — a subject
  21. key — for a lock
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bowl — a dish

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