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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wake — a trail
  4. field — farmland
  5. file — a document
  6. kick — in football
  7. craft — boats
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cue — for pool
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cue — a signal
  15. field — for sport
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. file — a tool
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. field — a subject
  24. temple — a place of worship

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