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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cue — a hint
  5. field — farmland
  6. race — a contest
  7. field — for sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. field — a subject
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. land — ground
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. race — humankind
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cue — for pool
  24. land — a country

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