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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. kick — in football
  3. cue — a hint
  4. field — a subject
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bass — the fish
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rock — music
  12. bass — low music
  13. cue — a signal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. field — farmland
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. snap — to click
  22. field — for sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bass — the instrument

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