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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a tool
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rest — a break
  6. file — a document
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. field — farmland
  9. cue — a hint
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. hand — help
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rest — what's left
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — a subject

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