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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 124 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. club — a group
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cue — a hint
  11. field — for sport
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cue — for pool
  15. field — farmland
  16. chest — a box
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. squash — the vegetable

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