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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. field — farmland
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cue — a hint
  9. land — to come down
  10. field — for sport
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. land — ground
  15. chair — a leader
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. land — a country
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cue — a signal
  24. field — a subject

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