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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. staff — employees
  3. net — after costs
  4. scale — in music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mug — a cup
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — a subject
  14. pit — in a race
  15. net — in sport
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. kid — to tease
  20. field — for sport
  21. cue — a signal
  22. kid — child
  23. cue — for pool
  24. net — for catching

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