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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — a hint
  3. lean — to bend
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bass — the fish
  8. field — a subject
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. field — farmland
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wound — an injury
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bass — low music
  20. game — a match
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lean — thin
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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