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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. field — a subject
  3. cue — for pool
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bear — the animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pop — music
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. court — of law
  14. kid — child
  15. pop — soda
  16. cue — a hint
  17. kid — to tease
  18. saw — the tool
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. net — after costs
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. net — in sport
  24. field — for sport

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